This video from Red Bull of the Dakar Rally 2012 is just amazing. There’s fantastic scenery, fast driving and some spectacular crashes. Well worth a watch.
Looks like a tough race doesn't it? Taking 14 days to complete more than 8000 kilometres, the route from Argentina, through Chile and to Peru is attempted in a variety of different vehicles. The four categories are Bike (450cc), Quad, Car & Truck. Unsurprisingly for the variety of surfaces the overall winner was on a bike but from the video you can see that these guys are most at risk from the rough terrain. It must take a certain kind of bravery or craziness to take on a challenge like this. 2012 overall winner Cyril Despres had this to say at the end
"The 2012 Dakar is without a shadow of a doubt the toughest Dakar I have ever raced in. It was very demanding physically but also such an intense psychological battle. Every day, I had to rise to the challenge and that takes its toll on the mind. It’s definitely a marathon and not a sprint because even when you do a good job one day, you have to go out there and repeat it tomorrow and the next day for two tough weeks."
Red Bull's official Dakar site has covered the entire event from start to finish with all the action on and off the road. With exciting videos, blogs and exclusive updates of the gruelling endurance race, it's well worth a visit.
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